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In the Moment

I am getting better at living in the moment,

stalling life by relishing every emotion-

not wishing it away or hurrying it up, or

dreading it or regretting it,

but welcoming it with open arms and

an open heart.

I am getting better at learning to allow myself to be

wholly saturated in the gifts that every minute offers me,

lingering on every part,

the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I do not believe it is okay to run from it, fear it, deny it, or

to artificially alter it in our best effort

to anesthesize the sorrows or intensify the joys

of everyday experiences.

I believe we must let it be.

This is life, and

this is the stuff life is made of.

Touch it.

Feel it.

Live it.

I never tire
of the early morning concert
that the beach orchestrates for me-
the rumblings of the ocean
as it spews
its waves on the shore;

the hollering
and relentless arguing
of the seagulls
as they compete for their morning meal;

the muted shrills of children’s voices
as they relish in the wonder of it all;

and the distant purring of a boat
as it parts the waters of the gulf.

These are the sounds that
slow
my
thoughts,
slow
my
feet,
and ground me in the here and now.

I memorize the music
and record it in my heart
so that I can take it with me
and be reminded,
to never forget,
that the
now
is all any one of us
really have.

Sturdy waves beat loudly against the shore,
and sing a rhythmic melody
that infuses new life within me.
(The ocean brings hope
to a disenchanted world,
a renewal of life to those who will allow
life’s waves to wash over them,
and bathe them in new beginnings).

The pungent aroma of a salt and fish concoction,
and the silky sand (concealing half hidden treasures) beneath my feet,
awaken my sleeping senses,
startling me from my comatose existence
and igniting a sense of urgency to live!
(The ocean brings energy to an apathetic soul
and a renewed optimism
to those who would welcome it).

The vastness of the waters poured out before me
shrinks my existence into the puny shell of a woman that I am;
its size overtakes me,
the mysteries it hoards beneath its surface intrigue me.
(The ocean brings depth to a shallow mind,
recharging the discouraged with excitement and curiosity,
and enlarging the scope of possibilities for those who are willing to have faith).

Coloring the sky with swipes of purple, pink, and orange,
the neon colors of the sunset are
mirrored in the stillness of the slumbering waters of
the gulf.
No words I can fathom or fabricate can adequately describe its beauty;
its wonder.
(The ocean brings beauty and restoration
to an ugly landscape trashed with the wreckage of a
life ruled by self, pride, and greed.)

The ocean’s blessings are for everyone.
Come and be restored. Come and be renewed.
Come and be

Fill me up with color, vibrant and

full- of- energy-

rich emerald greens, splashed upon floating lilly pads;

subtle shades of sage, shimmering in the marsh;

a variegated tapestry of every shade of green

painted on a lush landscape.

Fill me up with color,

Soft pale blues, imprinted on the morning sky;

Striking royal blue, flaunted by the indigo bunting;

Transluscent blues that cool and soothe a boiling impatience within.

Fill me up with color,

Fiery red, blasting the impending night sky and the

intense ruby red clothing  the curious cardinal.

Fill me up with color-

Color that rejuvenates; color that resuccitates

these slumbering eyes from an unimaginative life of only shades of gray;

Color that gives birth to a renewed sense of hope and purpose.

Whether vivid or subtle, pure or diluted,

colors pronounce courage and certainty of a rich life to be lived.

Fill me to the brim, til my senses runneth over,

then I will muster the courage and persistence to march on;

then I will awaken from a life of sleepwalking;

then and only then

I will experience the most beautiful thing.

time is of no importance to me,
and i feel liberated from the controls
it has had on me.

when its a warm sunny day
on the beach,
time waits-
it lingers and stalls-
it takes its sweet time.

time is all there is,
you know,
and time is all i got.
it’s inexpensive and plentiful
in the land of paradise.
i saunter across the sand
aimlessly and carelessly,
inattentive and undirected.
i’ve nothing better to do
but do nothing.
it doesn’t get any better than this.

spotlighted by the sun
I am an actor in this one man show
pretending to be the last
person to survive the human race.
the sun’s fierce warmth
melts my feet into the sand
and I plunge my toes deeper
into its secret hiding places
as the sand shrinks beneath me.
i am a fixture on the beach,
a statue,a sand sculptor
saturated by the sun,
waves,
and wind
in peaceful bliss;
surrounded by beauty and delight.

thoughts, ideas, dreams, and hopes
dart about through the corriders of my mind.
i want to give my feet wings
and soar to places I’ve never been before-
i want to do and be and see and go
and mostly,
i want to become.
the beach is my dance floor,
nature’s joyful sounds,
my music,
i want to waltz across the beach
and embrace the possiblitilies
and the excitement!

oh the intrigue
of the paradox
the ocean
stirs within

Sobriety

must be the goal in life.

Anything else is not the whole of reality;

it is not what is real

or genuine

or true.

anything else is  a veil over our eyes,

masking the truths we don’t want to see

in ourselves and others.

Anything else is a fabricated happiness

that will enslave with its dependency.

It is only with a

sober mind

that we can fully embrace life

in all honesty, because being of

sober mind,

without a hint of intoxicants in our blood stream,

will reveal more about ourselves

and our ability-

or our inabililty-

to experience laughter

and joy

in its most raw and true form.

Without chemical crutches,

we become wholly

and completely vulnerable

to life’s harsh lessons and

we are driven to rely on the power of God.

There’s something almost sacred- certainly humbling-

about being the only human at this moment on a sandy path

that winds through the refuge.

It’s the yellow brick road of the jungle

that leads me to its hidden treasures.

I am surrounded by sights, smells, and sounds

that keep me looking over my shoulder,

yet prod me to venture further,

only to satisfy my curiosity of what

awaits around the bend,

across the marsh,

or high up in the trees.

The refuge lays out a magnificent stage,

framed perfectly with mangroves and palms.

I am an audience of lone

with the excitement and applause of a full house,

standing room only.

Right on schedule, the spoonbill and herons

return to feed and roost,

the pelicans and wood storks return

for another reunion.

I secretly study the intricate details

of their beauty,

and I am stunned.

I am amazed by the genius of their survival;

I am entertained by their interactions and rituals.

I am awestruck by the magnitude of their presence.

I shake my head laughingly, thinking to myself

how funny it is that they don’t even know

what a huge fan I am.

I feel honored to be chosen to be a witness

to nature’s secrets as they unfold right before my eyes,

and to be fully saturated in this moment

created by the hands of our creator.

Faith

Hiking is a perpetual journey,

Every curve of the trail

Every hill, bend, and dell

Tweaks my curiousity &

Begs me to press on.

Hiking is God’s invitation for me

To journey on a trail of self discovery

(not for the faint of heart),

Every step I take is a decision

To follow  Him- or run from Him.

Every uphill climb

Brings me closer to truths &

Every twist and turn

Forces me to learn

Full reliance on Him.

 I forge ahead, confident

In the knowledge that God

Is my compass and He is

Leading me some place worth going.

I want to be more than just okay,

I want to be more than the status quo.

I want to make sure that one day

I am more than your average Joe.

I want more than getting by,

I want to do more than just survive.

I want to do more than just breathe,

I want to be more than just alive.

I want to be more than just fine,

I want to give more than what I take.

I want to be bold enough to live

the difference I want to make.

If I ever fail to get excited watching the sun

drop into the ocean;

If I ever cease to be stunned by the beauty of

the statuesque palm trees or

the luscious moss dripping from stately oak trees;

If I every become impatient while waiting for

the giant heron to take off in flight;

If I ever stand bored and unimpressed by

the mystery of the marsh;

then surely I am not living.

A hiking trail winding through the woods;

a canopy of trees overhead shielding me from occasional raindrops tapping my head;

leaves the colors of cantalope and cinnamon

                      lining the trail, (lest I lose my way);

the rhythmic crunching beneath each step I take;

the lure of something better beyond each bend in the trail;

each of my furfriends plodding happily by my side:

THIS I love

Thanks giving

Ocean breezes

escape from the waters of the gulf

and penetrate

 the pores of my entire being.

Every negative thought

and tense emotion is

whisked away in a gusty wind.

Inhaling its release, and

yielding to the relief it gives me,

I stand motionless in the presence of its power

and take it all in

with a grateful heart.

Faith is the flicker of light inside me as I stumble around in a world of darkness. I don’t know why this faith persists in me even when things start to fall apart around me. It just keeps me marching onward, guiding my footsteps, lighting the way. Who am I to oppose the light? It is a gift that saves my life over and over and over again

In the mountains, I am unanchored,
free to wander, ponder, pray, and play.
In the mountains, I am timeless,
Free from the burdens of the past,
the busyness of the present & 
the uncertainty of the future.
In the mountains, I am humbled,
reduced to but a tiny spec of dirt in the midst
of such majestic beauty.
In the mountains, I am weightless,
tucked away in the nucleus of all that is serene and safe,
absent of the petty minutia of my life.
In the mountains, I am absorbed in peaceful bliss,
lulled by the music of the songbirds & the poetic whispers from the wind in the trees.
In the mountains, I can touch the heavens-
the face of God.
In the mountains, there is none of me
and all of Him.

The Loving Thing

Though it may make me feel uncomfortable,
And my pride will surely feel the sting,
I must always look upward to Heaven
And do the loving thing.

Though others may not understand,
and exclude me from their social ring
I must always keep my eyes on Jesus,
And do the loving thing.

Though it’s not easy or convenient,
And there’s other jobs I should be doing,
I must look to my Heavenly Father
And do the loving thing.

Because when it’s all been said and done
And my soul resides with God above
My life will not have mattered much
If it did not reflect his love.

I want to speak words that uplift,

love encourage, support, and

validate others.

I want to give my words away

freely and

intentionally.

I want to be

the Johnny Appleseed of gracious words.

Who can withstand the power of the ocean’s waves

wildly pounding the beach,

fiercely urging you to live life abundantly?

Not me!
Who can resist the jungle of cypresses, palms, mangroves, and

ferns swaying passionately in the breeze

and casting its hypnotic magic upon your

spirit, whispering words that heal?

Not me!

Who can deny the beauty of broken shells,

once crafted so perfectly,

now perfectly imperfect,

a call to seek beauty in everything

everywhere?
Not me!
Who can stand strong against the draw

of the majestic beauty of a setting sun

as it relinquishes its grip on daylight, and

plunges into the sea,

proclaiming its message loud and clear,

“Die to self!”

Not me!

Who can turn their back on the awesome wonder of the Osprey

as she tends her nest with diligence and

anticipation,

a reminder to believe in new beginnings?
Not me!

Who can deny the vastness of the ocean

as it stretches for miles

under an eternal sky,

inscribing the message in your heart,

“Have faith in God!”
Not me!

Silence,

interrupted by the crunching noise of leaves beneath my feet,

and the occasional howling of birds nearby,

is the music of nature,

prescribed by God to me,

to quiet the rumblings of my busy mind.

It seemed that the stately pines stood at attention,
heralding our arrival into their secret place
of hidden treasures.
Not even once did we waver, look back, or
have any doubt. 
We simply paraded down that aisle,
Now blanketed with snow,
and pushed forward,
seeking the promises of beauty and surprise.
We expected good things
but didn’t demand them,
we hoped for good things,
but didn’t tire in the pursuit of them,
we walked with the conviction that whatever we were about to receive was a bonus,
a gift,
a treasure,
and that we should not hoard the beauty,
nor should it be merely enjoyed for a fleeting moment,
but that we would carry it with us and share it with others in the form of a life lived paying it forward.

What better way to live my life than photographing wildlife –

waiting and watching for the drama to play out right before my eyes in real time.

Each sighting is a surprise, a true blessing.

Its presence cannot be demanded, its beauty cannot be required, and

its drama cannot be scheduled.

The magic is a gift of nature, freely given with no expectation or

requirement from me except to be still,

to abide in the moment,

to be grateful, and

to leave a better person.

I choose to celebrate life each day with a sober mind

so that I may learn how to grow through life’s uncomfortable moments;

that I may learn how to  just be-

even when just being is hard, painful, or awkward;

that I may experience pure, unadulaterated joy

when the gift of joy presents itself to me;

that I may live and let live without

artificially manipulating my mood, thoughts, or feelings.

Photographing is more than just taking pictures. It’s being on the trail; enmeshed in color, sound, warmth, and wonder. It’s the feel of my feet rhythmically striking the ground beneath me, the buoyancy of the sandy trail propelling me farther to discover its elusive secrets and hidden treasures. It’s the distant sounds of shrieks and shrills of all creatures great and small, it’s the noisy slurping and gulping as the trail’s edge drinks from the lake water. It’s the excitement my heart feels, as it teeters on the edge of the unknown & the unexpected. It’s the thrill of the hunt for a rare sighting and the thrill of its capture, all played out in a mysterious wonderland

Faith is the flicker of light inside me as I stumble around in a world of darkness. I don’t know why this faith persists in me even when things start to fall apart around me. It just keeps me marching onward, guiding my footsteps, lighting the way. Who am I to oppose the light? It is a gift that saves my life over and over and over again.

     What good is it to be thankful if it doesn’t change me?

If Im truly thankful,

it will show in a more tender way I treat others and

by being more mindful of the precariousness of life.

If my thankfulness is rich and deep and real,

it will enrich the lives of others I encounter,

be it in small or large ways.

Thankfulness that doesn’t change me isn’t thankfulness at all.

It is merely paying lipservice …

a superficial thanks giving that pours a full glass

but doesn’t quench another’s thirst.

My thanks giving should be reflected in my living.

A pony embodies all that is right with the world.

He is humor on a somber and sullen day,

beauty in the midst of ugly political schemes,

an offer of friendship in a moment of desperate lonliness,

curiosity to enliven the spirit,

and is an utter fool when you open your lunch bag.

 

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© 2017 – All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and or duplication of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided that full credit is given to jantrabuephotography.com with specific directions to the original content.
© 2017 – All rights reserved.